Chaperone
by Alhana-Antilles
Summary: When Bruce Wayne and Dinah Lance start dating, Roy Harper reacts the one way he knows how: overreacting. Also staring Tim, Dick, and the rest of the Bat clan.
1. Chapter 1

Title:Chaperone

Author: Alhana Antilles

Rating: T

Disclaimer: DC owns these characters; I am not making any money on this.

Synopsis: When Bruce Wayne and Dinah Lance start dating, Roy Harper reacts the one way he knows how: overreacting. The characters present: Bruce Wayne, Dinah Lance, Roy Harper, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, Cassandra Cain, Barbra Gordon, Alfred Pennyworth, and Lian Harper.

Dinah Lance shifted on her couch and glanced out the window for what seemed to be the hundredth time. "Come on, Barb. Pick up the phone!" Her news was far too exhilarating to keep to herself anymore. This was the fourth time she had called Barbra Gordon in the past eleven minutes, and she was becoming anxious. Dinah picked at the armrest of her cream-colored sofa, hoping that her friend would answer soon. The phone stopped ringing and a voice finally answered.

"Hello?"

Dinah sighed in relief. "Barbra, where were you? I've been dying to talk to you." She didn't give the red head anytime to answer. "You'll never guess what happened to me at the bank today."

"You finally got the elusive blue lollipop from the basket at the bank teller's counter?" Barbra grinned wickedly. Dinah had been trying to get one for the past three months, but every time she did her banking only the purple ones that tasted like bad cough medicine were left.

"No, not yet, I never made it to the banking counter because the elevator broke down on my way up."

Barbra's eyebrows rose in mild surprise. "The thunderstorm this morning knocked out power to the building?"

"Yeah, but the great part about it was that I was stuck in there with Bruce Wayne! And what's even more fantastic is that he asked me out!" Dinah was nearly bouncing up and down in her seat. She couldn't believe her luck. After almost a full 30 seconds with no response from Barbra, Dinah wondered if her friend was still on the phone.

"Hey, Barb, did you hear me? Are you still there?"

Barbra broke out of her initial speechlessness. "Yeah, so… do you know where he'll be taking you?"

"No, but we're going out for lunch tomorrow. Can you imagine? I have a date with Gotham's most eligible bachelor! I can't believe what luck I've had today."

Barbra could tell that the blonde was grinning from ear to ear on the other end of the line. "Wow, Dinah…I honestly didn't think you were interested, considering his reputation."

"Oh, that's not a big deal. I don't expect to have an actual relationship with him. He's just one of those fantasy dates that never happen. You know, like movie stars."

"Well that's great, Dinah. You should-." Barbra's sentence was cut off by her JLA communicator. "Ah, I gotta go. I have incoming Oracle duties to attend to."

"All right, I'll talk to ya later."

"Bye, hon."

Dinah hung up the phone, smiling to herself. She got up and walked into her kitchen to find something to eat. As she fished around in her fridge, she remembered meeting Bruce in the elevator today.

_Dinah walked into the elevator and hit the button for the ninth floor. As the doors began to shut, a strong hand reached out and stopped them. They drew back and revealed the face of Bruce Wayne. He was wearing a black three-piece Armani suit along with a white dress shirt, a dark blue tie, and a black overcoat._

_Dinah drew in a quick but silent breath. '_My god'_ she thought._'Those posters from GQ don't do him any justice.'

_Bruce strode in with his eyes twinkling and his playboy smile plastered on his face. He stood close to Dinah and looked her up and down. "Morning, gorgeous."_

"_Right back at ya, handsome" Dinah replied. _'Ha! I'm flirting with Mr. Billionaire.'_ "What floor do you need to go to?" Dinah asked with bright eyes and grin._

"_The ninth," Bruce answered. _

_The elevator doors closed and began to move upward. "Well you're in luck. That's where I'm headed."_

_The elevator began to rise but jerked and stopped near the third floor. The power shut off as the emergency lights turned on, illuminating the inside of the now darken elevator. _

"_Uh oh." Dinah glanced around to assess the situation._

_Bruce calmly stepped towards the control button and hit a few button sequences. The elevator remained motionless. Hitting the emergency button, he stood back and turned to Dinah. "Well we're stuck here for now."_

"_Must be the storm," Dinah reasoned. _

"_It must be." Bruce raised an eyebrow and studied Dinah's face closely. "You look familiar. Have we met before?"_

"_We've never been formally introduced. You probably recognize me because I'm the Black Canary."_

_Bruce grinned and nodded his head in recognition. "That's right" He took a step closer. "Aren't you going out with that blonde guy with the thing for Robin Hood?"_

_Dinah allowed herself a small grin. "I was gong out with him, but we broke up a several months ago...again."_

_He slid his hands in his pants pockets. "I guess that means you're free to go out with me sometime." _

_Dinah grinned back and nodded her head. "Yeah."_

"_Then how about you meet me at my office at noon tomorrow, and we'll get some lunch."_

"_I'll be there."_

Dinah sighed in content and brought her concentration back to the inside of her refrigerator. Not satisfied with what she saw, she slammed the door shut and decided to order some Chinese.

Entering the main doors of Wayne Enterprises, Dinah walked up to a young male security guard sitting behind the front desk.

"Excuse me, what floor is Bruce Wayne's office on?"

The man glanced up from the Sudoku puzzle in that morning's Gotham Gazette. "We don't give out that information to people without an appointment. W.E. policy."

Dinah straightened her posture. "I have an appointment."

"Show me an ID." The guard took a sip of his cherry coke and filled in a square in the puzzle.

Dinah took out her driver's license from her wallet indeed her purse. She held it out, waiting for the guard to look up.

"Hey, look. Here it is…" She glanced at his nametag. "Jack."

After filling in another space, the man again glanced up. "You don't have an appointment." He went back to his puzzle.

"Yes, I do." She kept holding her license up in the air. "I made it yesterday."

"No you didn't."

Dropping her hand, Dinah furrowed her brows. "Yes, I did."

"No you didn't." Another space was filled.

"Yes. I. Did."

The guard looked Dinah in the eye for the first time. "You talked to his secretary?"

"Well no."

The guard took another sip. "Then you don't have an appointment."

"I talked to Wayne yesterday and set it up." Dinah grabbed the phone from off the desk. "Here call him."

The guard sat up straight and took the phone away from Dinah. "I can't do that he's in a meeting."

"Then call his secretary. I bet she has written down on his schedule."

The guard sat back and picked up his pen and newspaper. "She usually takes her lunch break now."

"Look, kid." She grabbed his shirt and pulled him forward. "I'm adept in martial arts. More than adept, I'm lethal."

The guard cleared his throat. "What you set up was a date not an appointment."

Dinah eyes widen. "You know?" She let go of his shirt.

"The private elevator is to my left. It'll take you straight to his office."

Dinah stared at him for a moment. The guard sat back and continued filling in spaces in the Sudoku. "Then why'd you-"

"I've read the Daily Planet, the Gotham Gazette, and played six Spider Solitaire games on my computer since I began my shift at five o'clock this morning. I'm bored." He looked up and grinned. "So far you're the highlight of my day."

"You little ferret." Dinah strode towards the lift.

"Ferret? Most people call me jackass."

"I'm not unoriginal." She answered as she walked through the doors.

As she rode the elevator up, she pulled out a small mirror and checked to see that everything was in order. She smoothed her blonde hair back into its place and reapplied her lip-gloss. She was dressed in a crimson red long sleeved shirt, a pair of tight blue jeans and a black leather jacket. She wanted to look casual without looking careless.

Putting the mirror back in her small purse she walked out of the elevator as the doors opened and hoped that she was headed in the right direction. Passing several upper staff members, she strolled up to a secretary.

"You're not on your lunch break."

The woman blinked. Of course she wasn't. "Pardon me?"

"Is this Mr. Wayne's… office area? I'm meeting him for lunch." Dinah checked the room out. It was spacious with a large window across from the secretary's desk and a fish tank filled with brightly colored tropical fish.

The light haired secretary smiled at her politely. "Yes it is, ma'am. He's currently finishing a short meeting. You can sit on the one of the sofas and read a magazine until he's through if you'd like."

Dinah glanced at coffee table near by loaded neatly with books and magazines. "I think I will thank you." She sat down on a hunter green couch and picked up a Calvin and Hobbes comic book. Dinah eagerly opened it and began reading. It had been ages since she'd read any comic strips.

Noticing the book Dinah was paying attention to, the secretary couldn't help but grin and shake her head in amusement. The last adult she saw reading Calvin and Hobbes in the office was Bruce. He did it a few times when he thought no one was looking. This was serious business and he needed to be taken seriously at least that's what she heard Mr. Fox tell Wayne last week. Not that it made any difference though. Wayne's pleasure seeker reputation was set in stone.

A few minutes later Bruce emerged from his office with Lucius Fox. "Well you know how these things work better than I do, Lucius. I'm sure it'll be better with you attending the conference."

"We're on the same page then?" Lucius stood patiently for confirmation.

Bruce placed his hands in his pockets and nodded his head. "As always."

"All right. I'll see you later, Bruce." Lucius strode out of the office having other things to attend to in the building.

"Bye." As Lucius left the office, Bruce turned his attention to Dinah. He smiled softly as he noticed the book she held in her hands. She remained completely oblivious to everyone else in the room. Her concentration was totally invested in the comic stripes.

Amused, Bruce's smile turned into a grin. He strolled towards her, waiting to see how long it took her too notice him standing right in front of her.

Turning the page, Dinah glanced up briefly and jumped back in surprise to see Bruce standing before her. "Oh! Hey." She smiled and set the book down on the coffee table. "I didn't see you come in."

"Calvin and Hobbes, huh? Bruce smiled and picked up the comic book.

"Yeah, it's one of my favorite comic strips. It's too bad Waterston stopped writing it. They've stopped printing them in most papers."

Bruce laid the book down on the table. "Well I've got it on good authority that the Daily Planet has plans to put it back in."

"You know what goes on in the Daily Planet planning rooms?"

"I should." Bruce lifted an eyebrow. "I own it."

"Oh, that's right." Dinah closed her eyes and held her breathe. "Now_really_ I feel like a dork."

Bruce let out a laugh. "Don't worry. No one has more dork moments around here than I do." He looked back towards his secretary with a soft smile. "Right, Susan?"

"Oh, don't get me started," the secretary replied with a shake of her head.

Bruce turned his attention back to Dinah. "Did you receive the flowers I sent you?"

Yes," Dinah replied with a bright smile. "The lilies were beautiful. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Ready to go?" Bruce offered her his arm.

She took it with a big grin. "Yes."

The couple walked three blocks to a small coffee shop called Cocoa's Café. As well as selling the usual coffee and breakfast foods, they offered a wide variety of soups, salads, and sandwiches for the customers.

Bruce ordered a chicken Cesar Salad along with a bottle of water while Dinah ate a turkey wrap with everything on it along with lemonade to drink.

During their lunch, they discussed a subject they were both enthusiastic about: kids.

The Calvin and Hobbes book had come back into discussion and had unintentionally led to the two of them talking about the children in each of their lives. Bruce had talked a bit about adopting Dick while Dinah chattered on about Roy and Lian. They weren't actually her children; technically one of them wasn't even a child. Nevertheless, she cared about them greatly. They were practically her family. Of course, Bruce already knew all about them, but he didn't reveal any of that to Dinah.

"It was nice having lunch with you, Bruce. I haven't had such an enjoyable date for awhile." Dinah had braced herself for a dull lunch with him. She went out with him for mainly one reason; she loved to look at him. His dark hair was a perfect contrast to his deep cerulean eyes. However, she had discovered there was more to Bruce than just superficial appearances. He had discussed the goals he had with the Wayne foundation and that he expressed a genuine interest in helping people. The nice thing about it though, was that it wasn't one of the celebrity-bandwagon-charity things. It was something he created because _he cared_.

Roy walked up to a small coffee shop with Lian in tow, helping her pull open the heavy door. He walked up to the counter and ordered the assorted pastry special for $6.99. Waiting for the order to be filled Roy felt Lian tug at his side. "Daddy…"

"What, Sweetie?" Roy pulled out a ten in of his wallet.

"Why is Auntie Dinah kissin' Uncle Dick's Daddy?"

"What?" Roy looked down, confused at his daughter.

"Look it." Roy's eyes followed his daughter as she turned and pointed to a table across the café. Sure enough Dinah and Bruce were sitting there lip locked.

"What the hell?"

Lian looked up to her father with wide eyes. "Uh oh, Daddy, you said a bad word."

With his mouth agape, Roy stood frozen in place, staring at Bruce and Dinah. Since when did Dinah date the Bat? Did she know he was the Bat? Of course she didn't. Otherwise, she wouldn't be swatting spit with him right now.

"I'm gonna be sick." He turned away as the couple pulled apart. Grabbing the bag of pastries, he told the cashier to keep the change and walked out the door holding Lian's hand. He led her into the car and buckled her in a back seat. Getting into the front, he set the food down in the passenger's seat and started the car. Gripping the steering wheel, he looked through the windshield. Dinah and Bruce walked out holding hands. They kissed softly and gave each other a hug. With wide smiles, they parted their ways.

"Are we going now, Daddy? We hafta give Auntie Dinah her pastries."

"Yeah, we're going, sweetie." Roy pulled out of the parking lot and drove to Dinah's apartment. On the way there, he took out his cell phone and dialed a number. Holding it up to his ear, he shook his head in bewilderment.

Clad in a white Gotham Knight's t-shirt and a pair of faded blue jeans Dick lounged on his couch watching reruns of the Cosby Show as his cell phone began to play its electronic version of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. He reached over and picked it up.

"Hello."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Roy Harper demanded.

Dick lowered his eyebrows. "Roy? What do ya want?"

"I want you to tell me why you didn't tell me."

Dick blinked twice. "What are you talking about?"

"Bruce and Dinah, how'd ya forget to tell me about that one?"

Dick raised his left eyebrow and bite his bottom lip. "What about Bruce and Dinah?"

"Oh, stop playing dumb, Grayson." Roy rolled his eyes. "I saw them making out at Cocoa's Café not just ten minutes ago."

"Whoa! Hold on." Wide eyed, Dick sat up in his seat. "Bruce and Dinah were making out…for real?"

Roy narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Dick sounded genuinely surprised. Maybe he really didn't know anything about Bruce and Dinah. The Bat was one of those strong silent type guys and notoriously tight lipped about his life. "You're telling me you really don't know about anything going on between those two?"

"Dude, I swear. This is the first that I've heard anything about it."

"Well at least you're lucky enough to hear about it instead of having to see it," Roy mumbled

Dick glanced around in his apartment. This was…different. Bruce was making out with Dinah? Bruce, who got dressed up in a bat costume to fight crime each night, his Bruce

was kissing Dinah? Looking at the portraits of friends and family hanging on his wall above the television, he decided to find out what was going on.

"Are you at work right now?" Roy asked.

"Nah, I got a couple of days off."

Roy pulled up to the apartment building where Dinah lived and parked his car. "Great, I'll come by later tomorrow."

"All right, see ya," Dick replied with a tired yawn.

"Bye." With that, Roy turned off his cell phone and took Lian and the pastries up to the front steps of Dinah's apartment.


	2. Chapter 2

Sitting on the steps of Dinah's apartment building next to Lian, Roy frowned, unnerved by the scene at the café. Talking to Dick did nothing but make him feel more agitated. His friend knew just as much as he did about it. But maybe that was a good thing. Perhaps it implied that Dinah and Bruce hadn't been going out for too long and they weren't serious, then again, maybe not. Bruce wasn't much of a talker and he probably wouldn't have informed Dick about his relationship with Dinah.

Roy rubbed his forehead with his hand. Glancing around worriedly, he began to formulate questions to ask Dinah. She was going to hear an earful.

"Auntie Dinah!" Lian tugged on Roy's shirt and pointed to the blonde heroine.

"Hey, guys." Dinah pulled out her keys and ran up the stairs. "Sorry I'm late." Unlocking the door she led them inside and up into her apartment.

Although Lian chattered endlessly to Dinah about the different kinds of pastry they purchased as a treat, Roy remained silent. He didn't want to cause a scene in the hallway. This situation required grace.

Inside the apartment, Dinah began to unload the pastries, arranging them neatly on a plate. Picking up one of the cherry filled danishes, she took a generous bite. "Mmm. These are so good Roy. Where'd you get 'em?"

Roy chewed quickly on his danish to answer Dinah. However, Lian beat him to the punch. With a mouth full of food she explained, "At the pastry shop where we saw you kissing Ba-"

Realizing that his daughter was about to revel Bruce's secret he quickly covered Lian's mouth with his hand. "Don't talk with your mouth full, sweetie." Roy had let his daughter on in the secret a while ago because she was curious about uncle Nightwing's family. She thought that it was silly that she could know Nightwing's secret identity, but not his daddy's. If she could keep Nightwing's identity secret, why couldn't she do it with Batman? Roy couldn't fault her logic, so he told her.

Dinah stopped eating and she stared at Roy with wide eyes. "You two were at Cocoa's today?"

Roy nodded his head.

"How much did you see?"

"Just the kiss," Roy answered quietly.

"That's all?"

"Yes."

"Okay." Dinah continued eating her pastry.

Roy's right eyebrow lifted in curiosity. "That's it? Okay? You're not angry or anything?"

Dinah shrugged her shoulders. "Why would I be angry? Instead of my bragging of going out with Bruce Wayne you got to see it for yourself." She walked to the sofa where Lian played with the television remote.

"Brag?" Roy stood there mystified. "Since when are you impressed by guys with money?"

"Never," Dinah admitted. "But when an attractive billionaire like Bruce Wayne asks a girl out, she just doesn't turn him down. I mean this is BRUCE WAYNE. Who wouldn't want to go out with him?"

"I wouldn't want to go out with him," Roy muttered.

"I should hope not." Dinah winked.

"Believe me, you have no idea," Roy mumbled. He sauntered over to the sofa, where Dinah helped Lian turn on Cartoon Network and plopped down beside the blonde.

"Is something wrong Roy?"

Downcast and clearly uninterested in what he was staring at Roy answered, "No. Why?"

"You're sulking."

Roy straightened up in his seat and began watching the television. He feigned interest in the show and did his best to get his mind off what he saw earlier today. After half a minute, he convinced himself that it was working. It wasn't. Before he knew it, it came spurting out of his mouth.

"You shouldn't have gone out with Bruce. It was just a bad idea." He immediately regretted it. It wasn't his place to tell Dinah what to do.

"Why the hell not?" The blonde heroine demanded. She stared at Roy, waiting for his explanation.

Lian turned around to face the two adults. "Uh-oh, you swore Auntie Dinah."

Dinah kept her hardened eyes fixed on Roy.

Slouching in his seat, Roy thought fast to came up with a reason. "Bruce's Wayne's reputation with the ladies-"

Dinah felt her eyes roll. "Roy!"

Roy knew perfectly well that Bruce's reputation was grossly over-exaggerated and mostly an act, but Dinah sure didn't. To her, he was Gotham's premiere playboy socialite. He hoped he could play that up to drive her away.

"All I'm saying is that it might be fun now, but soon he'll be with next week's bimbo."

"Are you saying that I'm this week's bimbo?"

"Yes," Roy answered. Half a second later, he had realized his mistake. "No! I mean no!" he quickly rectified.

It was too late. Dinah slugged him in the upper right arm. Grabbing his arm, Roy winced in pain.

"You know, Roy, you're one to talk. You'll sleep with anything that moves in a skirt."

"I know." Roy rubbed his aching arm. "It's just…" He paused to collect his thoughts. "I don't wanna see you get hurt."

Dinah smiled softly. "It was just one date, Roy. Nothing serious will come out of it. You'll see."

Bruce entered the front door of Wayne Manor into the foyer. He shrugged off his overcoat and hung it on the wood coat rack. Striding through the large halls, he made his way into the study, over to his desk where his mail sat in tidy little pile. Picking it up, he flipped through it. Most of it was junk mail and various credit card offers. He tossed them in the trash and kept the envelopes that obviously dealt with Wayne Enterprises and set them aside for later. Taking off his black suit jacket, he walked around the large desk. After placing the suit jacket on the back of his chair, he sat down, loosened his tie, leaned back, and closed his eyes. It was gratifying to be back in the serenity of his private study. The painfully dry marketing meeting for Wayne Tech this afternoon had drained his energy. The tranquility of his study was exactly what he needed.

"You seem quite pleased with the way your day went, Master Bruce."

Bruce remained silent.

"I take it you had a satisfying day, sir."

Again, Bruce didn't respond. He just wanted it to be _silent_.

"This is usually the point in the conversation that one acknowledges the other's presence, Master Bruce."

He grunted in reply.

"Please, humor me with words, if you would, sir."

Unfortunately, the silence was always broken. Readjusting his shoulders, Bruce kept his eyes closed. "What makes you think it was satisfying, Alfred?"

"Well, sir, most men who return from a cordial date with a beautiful woman are generally as relaxed and content as you are now."

This time, Bruce's eyes popped open. With a quizzical expression on his face, he studied Alfred, standing emotionless in front of his desk.

"Dick called and informed me, sir," Alfred answered the unspoken question.

"How'd Dick find out?"

"Apparently, young Mr. Harper spotted you and Miss Lance in Cocoa's Café today."

"Oh." Bruce closed his eyes once more. He knew that already.

"I believe the expression 'lip-locked' was used when describing what he saw."

Knitting his brows, Bruce opened his eyes. He felt his chest tighten and his spine straighten itself out as panic washed over him. What exactly was Harper's agenda? He wasn't spying on them was he? "Wipe that smirk off your face, Alfred."

Alfred's shoulders quivered and his eyes twinkled as he tried to hold in his laughter. "May I ask how it went, sir?"

"You're my butler, Alfred; I'm_ paying_ you to stop smirking."

Doing as Bruce ordered, Alfred gained control over his twitching lips. "Did you enjoy the time you spent with her, sir?"

Bruce glanced around the study. "Yes."

"Have you considered asking her out again, sir?"

Fixing his attention on his old friend, he paused for a moment then cleared his throat. "Actually, Alfred, I have."

"Bruce and Dinah are going on another date?" Nightwing stood open-mouthed in Barbra's apartment with wide eyes.

"Yeah, Dinah called twenty minutes ago and told me all about it. Why would that surprise you?" Barbra inquired.

"Oh, I don't know." Dick shrugged and waved his right arm in the arm. "Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he's Batman." Dick shook his head and took a seat across from Barbra. He glanced down to the mask he held in his hands. "He knows who she is. Normally he'd be running away and burying his feelings."

Barbra lifted her eyebrows and thrust her lips forward. "You think he has feelings for her?"

"I dunno…maybe." Dick took in a deep breath, allowing his lungs to expand to their fullest. Letting it out, he slouched. "I'm not sure I entirely understand the situation."

"You can't understand how two attractive adults in the prime of their lives could possibly desire a second date after the first one went so well?"

Dick felt his eyes roll. "I just didn't think that Bruce would go as far as a second date."

Barbra studied Dick's face. "Do you honestly expect something to come from this?" He knew Bruce better then anyone with the possible exception of Alfred.

Dick grinned as eyes flickered. "Considering his previous dating record- no, not really."

She matched his mischievous grin with one of her own. "Then you have nothing to worry about."

"I'm not worried. I'm just surprised."

"Have you talked to Bruce about this yet?"

He shook his head. "No, I tried to contact him on his cell phone but he never answered. I assumed that he was in a business meeting and had it turned off so I left a message saying I hoped to get into contact with him later tonight. Then I called the Manor and asked Alfred if he knew what was going on."

"What did he say?"

"That gossiping about an employer's dating life isn't in the job description of a butler."

Barbra let out a chuckle. "He's right you know. Whomever Bruce chooses to spend his time with is really none of our concern."

"Yeah, I know." Dick nodded in acknowledgment. Barbra was right. It wasn't something for him to get involved with; they were both adults. He let out a chuckle. "Man, Batman dating the Black Canary…this totally something I'll have to rag on him about."

Dick leaned back on his midnight blue recliner as his eyes followed Roy Harper's pacing in his apartment. Roy had been ranting and raving non-stop for nearly twenty minutes about Bruce and Dinah. He had been like this since he found out about their second date this morning.

Dick glanced towards the sofa where Lian had fallen asleep ten minutes ago. Amazingly, Roy had not managed to waken her up with his ranting. She slept soundly, clutching the television remote in her hands. Smiling softly, Dick returned his attention to her father.

With hands on his hips, Roy shook his head. "I'd really like to know what kind of game Bruce is playing."

"Bruce doesn't play games," Dick patiently reminded.

Roy ignored him. "What does he want from her?"

"Nothing, he already has everything."

"Is it me? Is he trying to get to me through her? Because if he is it's working beautifully."

Dick scrunched his eyebrows together. "He has nothing to gain by 'getting to you'."

Roy stopped his pacing and frowned at Dick. "Well don't you have anything to say?"

Dick resisted rolling his eyes. "Roy, I don't think we should get ahead of ourselves here. I mean, when was the last time Bruce had a serious relationship?"

Biting his lips, Roy stared at Dick with narrowed eyes. "You'll not at all bothered by this? I mean this is Bruce-"

"I know its Bruce," Dick interrupted. "But I talked to Barbra about it yesterday, and I've come to the realization that I've been freaked out by nothing. So what if Bruce and Dinah are going out on a date? It's not as if they're getting married or anything. There's no commitment there. It's just a second date."

Roy breathed in deeply and held his breathe. A short moment later, he let it go and scratched the back of his head. "You're right. I'm freaking out over nothing."

Dick's lips formed a soft smile.

"But-"Roy held up a finger.

Dick's smile fell as his eyes glazed over.

"I'm still a bit unnerved by it."

"Well...that's good," Dick praised. "You've passed the freaking out stage and are moving into-"

"I have to follow them," Roy stated matter-of-factly.

"Insanity," Dick announced. He rubbed his left hand across his eyes. "And what would you achieve by following them besides receiving two serious ass kickings?"

Roy shrugged his shoulders and sat down on the couch next to his sleeping daughter. "Peace of mind. I just need to know that this really isn't going anywhere. I mean you didn't see them in the café. They had their tongues down each other's throats."

Dick made a face. He didn't need that image of Bruce in his head.

Roy crossed his arms. "Like I said earlier, you're lucky that you only get to hear about it, not actually see it."

"And yet you're willing to go out and see them like that again."

"Hey, that's exactly what I gotta make sure doesn't happen on that date."

Dick shook his head. "Isn't this the kind of thing you should do when Lian's a teenager?"

"Ugh." Turning his head, Roy closed his eyes tight. "Don't bring her into this. I don't want think about that." He opened his eyes and looked down at his daughter.

"They're adults, Roy."

Roy sat in silence. After a moment's pause, he cleared his throat and looked straight ahead at the wall behind his friend. "He's Batman."

Dick clenched his jaw. "He's my father. There's no reason to be scared of him."

"I'm not scared of him." Roy sat a little straighter and looked his friend in the eye. "It's just that he's creepy. Remember that time when I shot that arrow at his back and he caught it without turning around?"

"That was years ago when we first founded the Titans!" Dick threw his arms up the air. "Are you ever going to get over it?"

Before Roy could answer, they heard a knock at the door. Dick stood up and answered it.

Tim strolled in. "Hey, guys what's happening?"

"Roy's planning a suicide mission," Dick explained, shutting his apartment door.

Tim blinked several times. "What?"

Dick sat back down the in the blue recliner and clasped his hands together. "The less you know the better."

"Hey, maybe Tim can do it," Roy suggested with a smile.

"No, Tim can't." Dick shook his head vehemently. Dragging innocent Tim into this would only get Roy into more trouble.

"I can't do what?"

"Come on, he'd be perfect." Roy smile grew wider.

"Perfect for what?" Tim glanced between the two friends with curious eyes.

"You're good at covert things aren't ya, Tim?" Roy asked.

"Sure, I guess so." Tim noticed Dick fervently shaking his head, but he kept his attention focused on Harper. "Why?"

Roy folded his arms. "Bruce and Dinah are going out on a date Friday night, and I need you to follow them."

Slack-jawed, Tim studied the archer. Was he insane or was this some kind of twisted joke? "No way, I'm not gonna spy on Bruce."

"Not spying, _chaperoning_," Roy clarified.

"No." Tim shook his head as the muscles in his forehead hardened. "When he catches me -and he will catch me- he'll kill me."

"Then take Batgirl with you as protection," Roy suggested. "I hear she's pretty lethal"

Tim turned to Dick. "Is he for real?"

"Unfortunately, I'm compelled to say yes," Dick answered with sympathetic eyes. "Why are you trying to get Tim do your dirty work for you?"

"He's less likely to get caught. Bruce wouldn't be too surprised to find me there. Hell, he's probably expecting it. Tim, on the other hand, has no reason to spy on them. Bruce won't be on the look out for him"

"You said chaperone!" Tim pouted.

"Spying, chaperoning…" Roy waved his hands in the air. "In this case it's really all the same."

Dick and Tim exchanged glances. Roy was off his rocker.

"Forget it, Roy." Tim walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed a Zesti. He shut the door and dragged a stool next to Dick's recliner. Sitting down, he opened the can of soda.

"I'll buy you ice cream if you do it."

"Oh, with sprinkles on top?" Tim asked with feigned enthusiasm. "Not only would I be in deep shit with Bruce, I have nothing to gain by doing this."

"Oh, but you do, Timbo." Roy grinned and sat up a little straighter. "I have three-ninth-row tickets to the Rolling Stones concert in Metropolis. You do this for me: one of them is yours."

Tim paused and raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"What?" Dick shouted, leaning forward in his seat.

Roy covered Lian's ears. "Hey, don't wake up my little girl."

"You said you'd be going to that concert with Wally and me," Dick reminded through clenched teeth.

"Sorry, Dick, but drastic times call for drastic measures." Roy looked Tim in the eye. "What do you say?"

With a sly grin, Tim glanced over to Dick's stunned face. He knew this opportunity would never arise again. He loved the Rolling Stones. He would do almost anything to go to one of their concerts, but was this worth it? Was Bruce's wrath worth a Rolling Stone concert experienced from the third row? Maybe it wasn't.

Taking a sip of his drink, he answered, "I dunno."

"Come on Tim, it'd only be for one night, and you'd get a Rolling Stones ticket."

Tim hesitated. He really wanted that ticket, but he also knew of what the consequences would be if Bruce found out. On the other hand, Bruce had been angry with him before, and he did survive all those times... "All right, I'll do it."

"Great." Roy grinned and clapped his hands together.

"But only if you give a ticket to Batgirl as well," Tim stipulated.

"What?" Roy's smile disappeared.

"Well, I can't follow Bruce and Dinah all alone. I'll fit in a lot more if it looks like I'm out on a date. And Batgirl is the best one to bring on this kind of operation. She knows how to blend in. And it's only fair to give her something for doing it."

Roy hesitated. "Does she like the Rolling Stones?"

"She will." Tim took another sip of the soda.

Roy considered the offer. He'd been planning on going to this concert with Dick and Wally for a couple months now, and it wasn't as if they'd have another chance anytime soon. He didn't want to give up two of his tickets, but he was desperate. "All right, but you won't get them until the job's done."

"I get them before or I'm not doing the job." Tim grinned once more and gulped down his soda.

Roy slouched in his seat. "Fine."

Dick covered his eyes with his hands and let out a groan. Roy and Tim were masochists. Only people who enjoyed pain were willing to mess around with Bruce.


	3. Chapter 3

BatThing: Thank you. Your comments are very much appreciated. I hope the dialog works. It's often the most interesting part of story to me. And don't worry about not reviewing earlier. I understand that life's busy.

Protector of Canon2: Oh, don't you worry about Wally. Karma has a way of working these things out. smirks Thanks for the comments.

Thank you to everyone who added my story to an Alert list. It's nice to know I have some readers.

* * *

"Roy not only wants us to follow them, but wants us to chaperone them."

Cassandra lifted an eyebrow and frowned.

"Make sure they don't kiss and stuff." Tim explained.

"I know what it is," Cass replied. "Just wonder if Roy is nuts."

"I wonder the same thing." Tim shook his head. "But, I don't actually want to chaperone them. I mean their consenting adults." He glanced out the window. "So we'll just keep on eye one them and tell Roy that nothing happened. That way he'll be happy, Bruce and Dinah's date won't be interrupted, and we'll get to keep the Rolling Stone tickets."

Tim settled back in the driver's seat then remembered he had something to give to Cass. "By the way-" Tim reached in to an inner coat pocket and pulled out a concert ticket.

"Here's yours." He handed it to Cass and settled back into the driver's seat.

Cass accepted the ticket and stuffed it into her purse.

They turned their attention to the apartment across the street and fell into a comfortable silence. They sat in a rented black Acura 2005 RL Sedan and watched building's front door. Bruce and Dinah were expected to walk out any moment. The two teens had been sitting in the car for a good ten minutes. They saw Bruce drive up in his BMW and enter into Dinah's apartment building a little over a minute and a half ago. Any second now, they would leave.

Getting Cass to join him on his task was easier than Tim imagined it would be. He had this whole speech prepared about what an opportunity was being presented to Cass. She was given the chance to see her first concert, something all teenagers eagerly look forward. It was an opportunity to live the life of a normal teenager. Also, it was Rolling Stones; that in itself was enough of a reason to go. However, Tim only had to use the first argument to convince Cassandra. Apparently, she too was a fan of Rolling Stones.

Tim saw the apartment door open and two figures walk out to the parking lot. He gripped the steering wheel and leaned forward. "Is that them?"

Cass lifted a small pair of binoculars to her eyes and focused the lenses. "…Yes."

"Good." Tim started the car and watched Bruce and Dinah pull out into the street and drive off. He waited a few seconds before following to put some distance between the two vehicles. Keeping the car lights off, Tim prayed that he would not be pulled over.

Tim's cell phone rang after several minutes of driving. With one hand, he pulled it out of his black suit jacket, pressed the power button, and held it up to his ear. "Hello."

"Hey, Tim," Roy answered. "Are you following them yet?"

"We're right behind them in the car passing Robinson Park as we speak."

"Anything happen?"

"Yeah, we saw them going at it in the Bruce's BMW before they took off."

Cass squint her eyes and glanced at Tim.

Roy's jaw dropped. "You did! What'd you do? Did you guys stop them?"

Tim attempted to gain a breath as his upper body shook with laughter. "Relax. I'm only kidding. It's been pretty dull so far."

Roy palmed his forehead. "God, Tim, that's not funny."

However, Tim could hear laughter coming from the other end of the call. Roy was probably on speakerphone. "I'm sure Dick found it funny." Tim's grin grew wider.

"Yeah, I did."

Yep, they were on speakerphone. "Don't worry, Roy. I'll call as soon as I see anything happen."

"No." Roy scratched the stubble of red whiskers on his chin. "Call us when you get there. I want to know where they're at."

"All right, talk to ya later."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye, Tim," Dick said, still chuckling at Tim's little joke.

"Bye, Dick."

Tim turned off his cell phone and came to a mandatory stop as they approached a red light. He caught his breath, however, as he watched Bruce drive right through.

* * *

Roy leaned back on Dick's blue recliner and hung up the phone with a frown. Dick was grinning from ear to ear, still taking delight in his panic a few moments ago. 

"You and Tim are getting far too much entertainment from me tonight."

Dick lounged on his couch with one arm behind his head. "Well can you blame us? I mean two days ago you tried to bribe Tim with ice cream."

"It works with Lian," Roy defended, running his right hand through his red hair.

At the mention of her name, Lian, licking a red lollipop, handed her father a piece of paper. "Look at what I drew, Daddy."

Roy took the paper and smiled. It was either a black and white spotted horse or a mutant zebra standing in a field of red and blue tulips. He wasn't sure. Pictures made by little kids were often difficult to interrupt. Nonetheless, he felt delighted by her gift. "It's so beautiful, sweetie. Could you make me another one?"

Sucking on the candy, Lian nodded her head and walked back to the crayons and sheets of paper on lying on Dick's coffee table. She picked up a magenta crayon and started coloring.

Roy placed the Lian's drawing on the table next to the recliner and turned his attention back to Dick. "Bruce never takes time off to enjoy life. He's Bat like 24/7." He swiveled the recliner back and forth in a gentle, calmative rhythm. "Don't you think it's a bit peculiar that he's on a date with Dinah right now?"

Dick shrugged his shoulders. "I did. Then I remembered he's human-"

"Debatable," Roy quipped.

"Not fully devoid of emotion-"

"Fooled me."

"And has needs and wants just like the rest of us."

"Just in theory, not in practice."

Dick paused for a moment and stared at his friend. Roy, like most people, just didn't understand. There was more to Bruce than just the Bat. Oh sure, there were times when the man was just merely existing and not actually living. However, Dick knew Bruce was there deep inside, hiding within the shadows, wrapped in a cloak of fear and mistrust, constantly pushing people away. It was his defense mechanism. His sure fire way to protect himself. It worked well, so well in fact that people actually believed that the man was emotionally destitute, incapable of human affection. Therefore, they never provided Bruce with something to be emotionally attached.

What they believed though, wasn't the truth. Bruce wasn't incapable of human affection. He was scared of it. As a result, he had figured that the best way to prevent the pain was avoidance, because you can't loose something you never had to begin with. Nevertheless, tonight Bruce was confronting his fear, and Dick was grateful for that.

"There's more to Bruce than what's seen on the surface, Roy. He has a heart and soul like the rest of us. He just doesn't show it."

"Maybe that's because there's not much to show."

Dick exhaled. That was a typical response. Whether it referred to the playboy or to the bat, he was unable to validate the real Bruce Wayne to others. The man was just too hollow to be genuine. People had to see it to believe it. _Well I hope you're happy with what you've accomplished Bruce._ Dick thought._The cape and cowl work magnificently._

* * *

"Damn it, Bruce!" Tim hit the steering wheel. "Why'd you have to be a careless driver tonight?" He would have followed if there were time. Traffic in the perpendicular lanes had already taken off when he slowed down and Bruce had barely managed to maneuver through the incoming traffic. Tim wasn't willing to do the same. 

He took out his cell phone again and entered a speed dial number. Holding it up to his ear, he waited for an answer.

"Hi, Tim," Barbra greeted. "What's up?"

"I was wondering if you know where Bruce is. I need to talk to him." Tim tapped the steering wheel with his fingers.

"Did you try his cell phone?" Bringing a half- empty mug to her lips, Barbra took a sip of warm coffee.

"He's not picking up."

She placed the mug down a coaster and adjusted her glasses. "Not surprised. What do you need to talk to him about?"

"A case I'm working on." Tim watched the traffic light switch from red to green. He bit his bottom lip and waited for the assault of blaring car horns behind him.

"Tell me what it is. I can probably help you with it." She held her fingers above her keyboard, ready to assist Tim with whatever he needed.

"Ah…this is really something he should be looking at." Tim cringed as he heard several people honking their horns behind him and yelling at the top of their lungs.

"Move your ass!"

"Come one let's go!"

Cass turned around in her seat to look through the back window. Several people were holding up their middle fingers

Barbra frowned. "Are you stuck in traffic?"

"Barbara, I don't have time-" Tim looked in the rearview mirror and saw a driver stick his head out the window.

"What's your problem, jackass?" The driver was thoroughly pissed off.

Tim ran his fingers through his hair. "Could you just please tell me where he is?"

"Tim…"Barbra hesitated. She knew that Dinah and Bruce were out on their date tonight and she really didn't want to interrupt them with anything less then an emergency, especially if Bruce wasn't answering his cell phone. "How important is this?" She became even more curious of Tim's situation when she heard someone yell 'Move your car, shit-head' over the phone.

"Barbara…" Tim whined. "It's important."

Tim sounded desperate. Maybe he really did need Bruce. Her reluctance began to fade. "He's at a restaurant called Florentine Nights."

"And where is that?"

"Lee Avenue, but don't-"

"Okay, thanks." Tim hung up his cell phone and stepped on the gas pedal. The car sped away, barely missing the traffic light turning red. Tim could hear a couple frustrated 'Goddamn its' and car horns blaring from the other drivers, now stuck behind another red light.

* * *

After giving the valet a generous tip, Tim pocketed the restaurant's parking card and straightened his tie. He glanced over his and Cassandra's clothes. He wore a black suit with a dark blue dress shirt and tie. Cass wore a white button up blouse with sleeves that flared out in the middle of the forearms and a short black skirt with crimson floral patterns. She also wore tan nylons, black high heels, and carried a small matching purse. Tim had considered going incognito, but decided against it. If something came up that required Robin or Batgirl, he didn't want to waste their time changing out of elaborate outfits. Instead, they would simply have to stay out of Bruce's field of vision. Of course, that was easier said than done, but hey, they'd been trained to do stuff like this. 

Cass turned her attention to Tim. "Do we need a reservation?"

Tim studied the restaurant as they walked through the doors. It was quite an elegant place. He'd expect nothing less of Bruce. "I'm afraid so." Tim searched for the matire'd. He saw him talking on a phone with his back turned away from them. "I guess we could always 'Ferris Bueller' it."

Cass frowned as she followed Tim up to the reservation desk. She was curious as to what a Ferris Bueller was.

Tim skimmed down the list of names on the computer screen and saw reservations for an Ann and an Andy. He felt sorry for these people; they were named after a couple of kooky dolls. They probably thought it was cute. Of course, it could always be worse. At least they weren't named Ken and Barbie.

The maitre d' hung up the phone and turned his attention to them. "May I help you?"

"We're Ann and Andy. We have an eight o'clock reservation."

The maitre d' stared at them in silence. After a brief moment, he tilted his head and asked, "Ann and Andy?"

"Yes." Tim nodded and hoped this guy wouldn't ask for ID.

Unimpressed, the maitre d' stood still. "Do you think I'm an idiot? That I'm some slothful incompetent, drooling moron because I work at some restaurant and not a lofty bioengineering research facility?"

Tim scrunched his eyebrows together. "Pardon me?" Man, this guy had some unresolved issues.

"What do you think you're in: an 80's teen movie?"

Tim lowered his gaze and droop his shoulders in defeat.

"Yes, young man, I've seen all the John Hughes flicks." The man smirked. "Hannah and Andrea are regular diners here, and as many diners do they reserve under their preferred nicknames. Remove yourselves from the premises now."

Leaving the restaurant Tim put his hands in his pants pockets and glanced around at the street. "Well, that worked as well as I thought it would."

The corners of Cassandra's lips turned down. "Then why do it?"

Tim shrugged and looked Cass in the eye. "It was something I always wanted to try."

As Tim stared out at the passing traffic, Cassandra glanced around at their surroundings. She tugged Tim's right arm and pulled him down the street. "This way." She pulled him down a semi-light ally next to the restaurant. They stopped and looked for a side entrance. Cass stepped forward and tugged on a heavy door. It was locked. Tim took a step back and noticed a small red box on the side of the door. He realized it was an emergency exist.

"Forget it, Cass. If we open this thing an alarm is gonna go off."

She stopped her tugging and began searching for a new entrance. Looking up she found one. "Look." Tim followed her pointed finger. "We climb through the window." The glass windowpane was about one and a half by two feet and angled out at forty-five degrees. They'd be able to make it, but he'd have to screw it off in order to get through.

After several minutes of standing on bent-up garbage bin Tim was able to take off the windowpane with his Swiss Army pocketknife. He lowered the pane to Cass and put away his knife. After several minutes of climbing and careful maneuvering, they were able to get through the window and jump down onto the floor inside.

They dusted themselves off they looked around at their surroundings. It was dark. Only moonlight shining through the window lit the small room. Tim and Cass felt their way around. After knocking into to what seemed to be several boxes, they finally found themselves at the door.

Moving his hands across it, Tim found the doorknob and turned it. Pushing the door open, he peeked out into the hallway. The kitchen was to their left, the dinning room was on their right. Seeing no one near, they snuck out and walked towards the dinning room. Entering, they searched for Bruce and Dinah.

Cass poked Tim in the arm and nodded. "They're right there."

Tim looked where Cass indicated. Sure enough, Bruce and Dinah sat across from each other. Luckily, Bruce wasn't facing them. It would suck to be caught before they started.

They decided to sit at a table diagonal from Bruce's back, which allowed them to see him while shielding them from Bruce. Tim and Cass sat across from each other in a way that allowed both of them to watch the couple. Neither of them had their back towards Bruce. Tim and Cass would just need to turn their heads only slightly to the side to observe.

Tim glanced around the room and studied the ambiance of the restaurant. It was serene with low lighting. There were lit candles on every table, and everyone dressed in expensive clothing. The tableware on the dark blue tablecloth was the finest. The servers dressed in black suits, white shirts and matching ties. Only the cold temperature of the room could ruin the atmosphere. However, despite being quite an upscale place to eat, it was near empty. There were only a few people seated at the tables.

Seeing a waitress holding some menus walk past, Tim spoke up. "Excuse me, but could we have some menus?"

The waitress stopped and looked at the teenagers. "Goodness, did you just arrive?" Tim and Cass nodded. "I'm sorry. I don't know where my head is. This is my first day working here." She handed them a pair of menus. "Could I start you off with a drink?"

Shivering, Tim opened his menu. "Lemonade, please."

"Water." Cass held the menu while she kept her eyes fixed on Bruce and Dinah. "Please," she added, remembering the lessons in manners Alfred had been teaching her.

"Good choices, I'll be back with your drinks in a moment." The waitress walked away with a smile.

"Man, it's chilly in here," Tim noted as he read the menu.

Cass nodded in agreement, as she felt goose bumps rising on her arms. She opened her menu stared at the writing. It wasn't like any writing she had seen before. It was all curvy and swirled around the page. She couldn't make out a single letter let alone a word. She bit her lip and closed the menu.

Noticing that Cass had put down her menu, Tim glanced up. "Did you- what? Oh, right." He set the opened menu down. "Would you like me to read it to you?"

She shook her head. "It's not even in English."

Smiling, Tim picked the menu up again. "Yes, it is. It's just a different writing style called cursive."

Her face remaining blank, Cass blinked.

"Well what do you feel like eating tonight? They have salads, pasta-"

"Pasta salad."

"Okay." Tim glanced at his menu. "Well they have a Spinach Artichoke Pasta Salad."

Cass stuck out her tongue. The health benefit of spinach just didn't outweigh its taste for her.

"I wouldn't want that either." Tim gave her a small grin and looked over the menu again.

"They also have a Traditional Pasta Salad. It has cherry tomatoes, black olives, cucumber-"

"I'll have that."

The waitress came back and placed their drinks in front of them. "Would you like to hear tonight's specials or have you already decided what to order?"

"We know what we want. She'd like the Traditional Pasta Salad, and I'll have the Chicken Parmesan with Italian dressing for the side salad."

"Good choices." The waitress began to walk away but paused after a few steps. Turning around she walked back and asked, "Uh, is that Authentic Italian or American Italian?"

"Authentic, please."

"Good choices." The waitress picked up the menus with a smile and walked away.

Tim glanced back at the waitress. "I think we could have ordered overcooked corn dogs and a side of macaroni and cheese and she'd say 'Good choices'."

Turning his attention to Bruce, Tim shivered as he pulled out his cell phone and entered a number. Holding it up to his ear, he waited for an answer.

"Tim, is that you?"

"Yeah-"

"What took you so long to call? I've been sitting here with Dick and Lian waiting for twenty minutes to hear your update. Do you know what can happen in twenty minutes? Bruce and Dinah could-"

"Settle down, Roy. This isn't the crisis you're making it out to be. We hit a few roadblocks on our way here and had to sneak our way in. This is an exclusive upscale restaurant. A reservation is needed to get in, and apparently they only give them to their regulars."

"Sounds expensive."

"It is expensive. The main dishes at the lowest are forty or fifty dollars...not including the side dishes."

"Where'd he take her?"

Tim cleared his throat and glanced at Cass. "Florentine Nights."

"Hey, Dick, ever heard of a place called Florentine Nights?" Roy paused. "Dick says only the most prominent Gotham Citizens get in."

"Yeah, I know. The Mayor is eating across the room-" Tim squint his eyes. "-Caressing the hand of a gorgeous woman who is most definitely not his wife. Oh my god, they're kissing!"

Rubbing her arms to warm them up, Cass turned her attention to where Tim was staring.

"Bruce and Dinah? Well stop them!"

"No." Tim slouched in his seat. "The mayor and his… lover."

"Tim, your assignment is to watch Bruce and Dinah not the soon-to-be-divorced mayor and his mistress."

"Don't worry." Tim turned his gaze to Bruce and Dinah. "They haven't…" Tim stopped talking. Bruce and Dinah were no longer there. He glanced around, searching for the couple. They were nowhere around.

Tim leaned across the table. "Cass, where'd they go?"

Staring at the empty table, Cass shook her head. "I dunno. They were there when I last checked." She twisted around to scan the rest of the room. "I looked away for a moment."

"What's going on? Did ya loose them? Are they still there?"

"Umm..." Tim bit his bottom lip and continued shivering. "I don't know what happened. One minute they were there, and the next minute they were gone." He scrutinized the room again. Neither Bruce nor Dinah were anywhere to in sight.

"Damn it, Tim! I told you to keep your eyes on them."

"I'm sorry, but I was distracted by a very PDA. We glanced away for half a minute. I swear."

"You guys were trained by the Bat! This shouldn't happen just…look for Bruce and Dinah. They have to be there. Nobody orders, eats, and pays for a meal in less than a half twenty minutes in a restaurant like that."

"All right, I'll call you when we find them." Tim hung up his phone and took a quick look around the room. He saw Cass speaking with a waiter and pointing to the once occupied table. The waiter shook his head in response and walked away. Cass met Tim's eyes and frowned.

Tim exhaled. He stood up and crossed the room over to Cass. "Where could they go?"


	4. Chapter 4

I apologize for not updating this sooner. Life's been hectic.

acer-sigma: Yeah, that would be very Bruce. He tends to be a bit all-knowing, which is something these three are ignoring. Thanks for the comments.

The BatThing: That's a part a really like as well. It's good to know I have at least one memorable line. :)

DarkKnightJRK: Thank you so much for pointing that out for me. I went back and fixed it (I hope it shows up). I originally had the tickets for Green Day, but after I had finished writing this I though it'd be a bigger deal if the concert was for a more legendary band, so I changed it. I hope you enjoy the rest.

* * *

Settled in the cozy velvet booth, Bruce and Dinah ate their meals, savoring the flavors of the tomato sauces poured over their respective pasta dishes.

After Bruce finished swallowing his food, he looked in Dinah the eyes. "Are you more comfortable in here?"

She nodded. "Yes, I am. It's much warmer here." She took another bite of pasta.

The corners of Bruce's mouth turned upward as he gave her a soft smile. "Good. I wouldn't want poor heating to ruin tonight for you."

Dinah finished chewing and grinned. "Ruined? Are you kidding? Not only does this place have delicious food and excellent wine, but it provides scandalous entertainment as well. The mayor's been groping her the entire evening."

Bruce snickered. "Believe me, that was not his first time."

Dinah covered her mouth as she stifled a laugh. "Do these kinds of things happen here often?"

Bruce took a sip of water and nodded. "It's actually quite tame tonight."

Dinah shook with laughter and glanced around the room. "And to think Harper actually tried to talk me out of coming…"

Bruce narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. "What?"

Dinah waved it off. "Oh, it's nothing."

"Harper..." Bruce leaned back in his seat. "Is he the one you said that saw us in the café?"

"Yeah." Dinah took a bite of her seasoned potatoes.

Bruce straightened in his seat and picked up his fork. "So tell me what he said. It couldn't have been that bad." He stabbed a small piece of chicken and brought it up to his mouth.

Swallowing her food, she rolled her eyes. "He just warned me of your reputation and proceeded to imply that I was a bimbo."

Chewing on the piece of chicken, Bruce lifted an eyebrow.

"Oh, don't worry. I put him in his place." Dinah paused and stared off into space with large eyes. "The thing I don't understand is_ why_ he did it. I mean he's never cared before. Not to mention he has his own reputation with the ladies." She shrugged and forked some more potatoes.

"Perhaps he's scared of me."

Dinah snorted. "Roy doesn't even know you." Tilting her head, she gazed into Bruce's blue eyes. "Although, I do remember him acting a bit agitated when I told him about our date. He seemed to be spooked by something."

Bruce brought his wine glass to his lips and took a sip, hiding his satisfied smirk from Dinah.

* * *

Tim ran both of his hands through his hair and paced in front of a pair of potted plants in the restaurant's foyer. "Oh this is bad, so very bad." Still glancing into the dinning room Tim shook his head. "We've only been following him for an hour and he's already managed to loose us twice-" Taking his statement in, Tim slouched. "Of course he's managed to loose us twice. He's Batman. Disappearing is his thing." 

"Need to be a detective."

Tim stopped his pacing to stare at Cassandra. "What?"

"Need to be a detective. Bruce is a detective. He taught you to be a detective, so be a detective."

Tim glanced towards the ceiling. "You're right. As his disappearing acts have shown, he's approaching this as Batman. So I need to approach this as Robin." He took a deep breathe in and faced Cass. "All right, first off- where did we last see them?"

"Table in the dinning room."

"And what were they doing?"

"Talking."

"Right, they were talking. When we turned back, they were gone, which makes us ask the question: what forced them to move?" It was either an internal or external motivation. Tim recalled that they were smiling, relaxed, and appeared to be enjoying themselves. Therefore, it wasn't an internal problem. It had to be something external. It couldn't have been a crime or Bat related because he and Cass would have been alerted.

Tim turned around and stared at the dinning room. What could have compelled them to leave the room? Feeling a brisk gust of cold air whip around him as a couple left the building, Tim came to a realization. "It was cold."

"I know." Cass gazed off to the side. "Except in there."

Biting the inner side of his left cheek, Tim turned to Cass. "Huh?"

"It's not cold in there." Cass pointed to the other end of the restaurant; instead of tables littering the floor there were velvet booths, providing the dinners with a little more privacy. "No one is shivering-"

"Or huddling in their jackets to keep warm," Tim finished. He glanced between the square tables, where they once sat and the booths, where everyone appeared relativity comfortable. He took a several steps forward and strode past the bar, separating the tables from the booths. Cass followed close behind.

Stepping into the booth area, Tim felt the warm air wrap around him and heat him up. He allowed himself to smile. "They were cold." He turned to his right, where Cass stood. "They were cold and requested a different seat. That's why there were so few people sitting at the tables. Most of them are sitting over here because it's warm."

Silent and agile, they navigated their way through the booths, searching for Bruce and Dinah among the many couples eating their meals.

After several minutes of searching, Tim spotted them. He tapped Cass on the arm and nodded towards the couple. "Hey, they're right there." Thankfully, once again Bruce wasn't facing them. Tim glanced around at their surroundings. "Hmm. Which table do you think provides the best-"

Cass cut him off. "Trouble." She turned Tim around, showing him that the maitre d' was headed their way. "Uh-oh. Duck." Tim and Cass hurried down and crawled under a booth to their right. Huddled under the table they saw the well shined black shoes of the maitre d' stop in front of them. A pair of legs, clad in denim, made their way under the booth, kicking Tim in his side.

"Would you like a drink to start off your dinner, Mr. Harper?"

"A coke, please."

Roy was here? Tim leaned towards the booth and peered up at the man occupying the seat. What on Earth, was Roy doing here?

"It'll be brought to you momentarily." Tim sighed as the maitre d' strode off. Could this night get any worse?

"You two planning on staying down there the whole evening?"

"No." Tim gestured to Cass, waving her upwards. They crawled out from under the table, bumping their heads in the process, and sat across from Roy. Tim dusted himself off.

"What are you doing here?"

"Your job. You suck at this."

"I do not." Tim pouted.

Roy leaned forward. "You lost them and were hiding under a table."

"He's Batman!"

Roy looked over Tim's shoulder towards Bruce and Dinah. His seat provided him with a view of the back of Bruce's head along with the glowing smile of Dinah Lance. Things appeared to be going all right.

Noticing that Roy's attention had shifted behind him, Tim turned in his seat and watched Bruce and Dinah. They looked happy. After a short moment, he turned his attention to Roy. "Hey, how'd get in here?

"Have they been like this all evening?"

"Pretty much, but how'd you get in without a reservation?"

Picking up his menu, Roy turned his attention to Tim. "I used the Force."

"Seriously. They didn't give you a hard time?"

"Jedi Mind Trick." Roy opened the menu and browsed through the entrees. "Obi-Wan taught me."

"Fine be that way." Tim felt arms and legs move past him under the table. "Hey! Cass, what are you doing?"

Cassandra Cain was crawling under the table to the other side of the booth. Popping up next to Roy, she made herself comfortable. "I need to see them to do the job."

"At least one of you is taking this seriously." Lowering his eyebrows, Roy shook his head in disgust. "Damn this place is expensive. Who'd pay twenty-one dollars for a stupid garden salad?"

He shut the menu and stole a glance of Bruce and Dinah. They weren't touching each other. That was a good sign.

"Hello, I'm Tiffany. I'll be your server for tonight. Do you know what you'll be having?" She placed Roy's coke in front of him. Seeing the two other occupants at the table she asked, "Did you two not order drinks?"

Roy offered her a sincere smile. "The kids will have cokes. Together we'll have bread sticks, three garden salads, and a calzone to split, please."

"All right, I'll be back with your drinks shortly."

Roy winked. "Thanks, doll."

The waitress picked up the menu and left to check on a table nearby.

Biting a part of his inner cheek, Tim eyed Roy. "I thought you didn't like the prices here."

Roy took a sip of his drink. "I don't, which is why you'll be paying."

* * *

"My assistant's flight had been delayed and as I was the only one with a clear schedule I was left with the task of giving the Wayne Enterprises history Tour to Ms.Hayashi's 4th grade class."

"Uh-oh."

"My thoughts exactly." Bruce paused to clear his throat with a sip of water. "After a less then smooth introduction, I began by discussing some obscure Asian art adorning the walls tables of the lobby."

Dinah smiled. "Did you know what you were talking about?"

"Not a clue. I spoke of how the Ming dynasty influenced the art of 12th century Japan and the cultural impact that had when the Huns invaded South Korea. The fact that Ms. Hayashi mentioned that she was from Japan during introductions did absolutely nothing to prevent my twisted art lesson."

Dinah's forehead fell forward into her hands as her giggling took over. "I guess it's safe to say that Asian geography and history weren't a part of your higher level education."

"No." Bruce couldn't help but smile at the ridiculous memory. "But I did receive an Asian history textbook a few days from Ms. Hayashi. So, _now_ I can talk about parts of Asian history."

Dinah lifted her head and met Bruce's bright blue eyes. "Do you things like that often? I mean, giving the kids a tour, not making a fool of yourself."

"Ah…" Bruce let out a chuckle. "I attempted to do stuff like that when Dick was in grade school. But I quickly came to understand the limits of my speech and tour making skills."

Dinah took another sip of her wine. "But you're still involved in the community, though?"

"Of course, whenever I can fit into my schedule. There's still so much to do in Gotham."

"Hmm. What I admire about you're philanthropic efforts is that you've picked one area to focus on and stuck with it, unlike other celebrities who jump from one charitable bandwagon to another, so they can stay in vogue."

Bruce glanced around the dining hall with a furrowed brow. "You mean like the whole adopting a baby from Africa thing?"

"Yeah, and I don't mean to take anything away from the work of Bono and Angelina- the world could certainly use more people like them. It's great what they're doing- it's just, a decade ago, the thing to do was to adopt a baby from China. Now the trend is to have one from Africa. It's as if charity work is done to be stylish. Yet here you are helping the people in your on backyard, and it comes off as more….heartfelt. You aren't just trying to gain brownie publicity points or make some sort of controversial statement. It seems to hold some actual significance for you."

"Well...yeah, it does." Bruce nodded and scratched an itch on the back on his neck. "I've never been interested in celebrity trends. It's just, if I don't help the people of Gotham, then they won't get the help that they obviously need. I think No Man's Land proved that."

* * *

Tim and Cass were tying to enjoy their meal as best as they could. Cass was focused on tonight's mission so she really didn't pay too much attention to what she was eating, just enough to get minimal pleasure out the meal. Tim would have loved to be savoring every bite, but the high price of the dinner was preventing him from fully appreciating the rich flavors of the food. He'd be shelling out over a hundred dollars tonight for three meals- and that wasn't including the tip. He looked over at Roy and sighed. Roy's meal it seemed would remain uneaten. He hadn't even touched his plate since the waitress had put it down. He kept his eyes on Bruce and Dinah.

Staring at Bruce and Dinah hit it off; Roy couldn't help but wonder what Dinah saw in the Bat. But of course, to night he wasn't the Bat. He was Bruce Wayne, the air-headed zillionaire of Gotham. It's not that Roy hated Bruce. He didn't, but he was often uncomfortable with the Dark Knight's presence. It wasn't just that the man was creepy; he was such an unemotional loner. He was cold, aloof, and far too serious for anyone's own good. And Dinah deserved to be with someone who wasn't so emotionally withdrawn and distant. She needed to be treated right, and that's what tonight was about. That's why Roy needed to make sure that the relationship didn't progress far enough that Dinah would get hurt once Bruce would close off to her.

It was then he saw it. Bruce and Dinah were leaning in for another kiss. He gasped and started patting Tim's arm. "Hey, stop it."

Tim made a face at Roy. "You stop it. You're the one who's hitting me." He kicked Roy's shins under the table.

"Not you." Roy reached over and slapped Tim's head. "Them." He nodded to the scene in front of them. They were still kissing!

Tim turned his attention ahead. "Oh. That…well, there's nothing really that I can do."

"What d you mean there's nothing you can do? Make a phone call, start a fire, jump on Bruce's back, just do something. Quick."

Tim glared at Roy with narrowed eyes. "Do you want Bruce to kill me before the night is over? If you want to stop them go ahead."

"All right I will." Before Roy could get out of the booth, he found himself pounced on by Tim. Tim shoved Roy aside, blocking Roy from moving. Roy pushed back, starting a shoving contest to see which one could get the other to move over the most.

As the soft and enjoyable kiss with Bruce ended, movement from out of the corner of her eye made Dinah glance behind Bruce. She gasped, as her eyes grew wide. "Would you excuse me for one moment, I need to see to something."

"Sure." Bruce watched as Dinah stood up and walked past him. "What is it," he asked as he turned around in his seat. He barely made it to see some kid being pulled under a table. Something was always going on here. Shaking his head, he turned back to his meal and took a sip of his drink.

When Cass' eyes made contact with Dinah's she reached over and pulled the boys apart. "Duck"

Tim stopped his shoving. "What? Oh, boy. Get down now." He pulled Roy down under the table with him just before Bruce had time to see their faces. "Shhh" He held his fingers up to his lips to silence Roy. Dinah, Tim mouthed.

"Roy?"

"….Yeah, Dinah?"

"Get out from under the table."

Sighing, Roy crawled out from under his hiding spot on all fours and smiled up at the angry blonde. "Hey, how weird is it that we're eating at the same restaurant? If I knew you'd have been here Dinah, I would have picked somewhere else to give you some privacy."

"Hah!" Tim let out.

Cass clamped her hand over his mouth.

With her arms folded across her chest, Dinah glared at the table. "You two better get out from under there as well."

Looking guilty, Cass and Tim crawled out as well. Unlike Roy though, they immediately stood up.

"I think it's time for the two of you to leave." Dinah stated.

"Okay, just let me pay for the meal." Before Tim could reach for his wallet, Dinah grabbed his wrist.

"That's unnecessary. I'm sure Roy would be more than willing to pay for tonight."

"Fine with me. Come on." Tim grabbed Cass' hand and pulled her away from the scene. He stopped briefly and turned back to Dinah. "We're sorry about tonight. We didn't honestly intend to ruin the evening for you. We we're just-"

"Don't worry about you guys aren't the ones I'm upset with." She watched as Tim and Cass turned around and walked away, leaving her with Roy. When they were gone, she turned her attention back to Roy and rolled her eyes. "You can stand up Roy."

"I know." He stood up and dusted of his knees. "I couldn't see your face, so it felt safer to stare at you from down there." His eyes went wide as he saw a black haired and blue-eyed billionaire walk up behind Dinah.

"Is there some sort of problem?" The man asked.

"No." Dinah let her arms drop to her sides. "Bruce, this is Roy. The one was telling you about earlier."

Bruce held out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Roy." Shaking Roy's hand, he offered him his patented playboy smile.

"Yeah, you too, Mr. Wayne," Roy mumbled as he glanced down, unable to meet Bruce's eyes. Ending the handshake, he glanced back at the table. Most of the food was uneaten, which really sucked because it smelled incredibly delicious. "I'll just pay for my dinner and get out of your way."

Bruce patted the archer on his back. "Don't bother. I'll pay for it. You just go back home." Seeing that Dinah was going to protest he said, "Really it's no big deal. He should save his money for more important things like his daughter's college education."

Dinah smiled softly. "That's really nice of you, Bruce."

"Yeah, thanks." Roy pocketed his wallet and dashed away form the couple. Boy was he in for it. Not only would Dinah give him an earful when she got home, but he now had to deal with the wrath of the Dark Knight. Roy grimaced. Oh, boy was he in trouble.

** Epilogue **

Sitting in his seat Roy searched around section for Tim and Cass. They should have been here by now. The concert was supposed to start at eight and it was already 7:48. Opening act had already played a few songs and would be moving finishing any minute. It was bad enough that he had to give up the tickets he originally reserved for Wally and Dick to two teenagers, but it'd be just plain cruel for Tim to not even show up. It'd be a waste of hundreds of dollars. These weren't cheap tickets. They were sitting in the center of the ninth row to a sold out Rolling Stones concert.

As he stood up for a better view, his cell phone rang. Answering it, he saw the call was from Dick. "Hey, man. Calling to make me feel guilty?"

"Nope. I'm trying to make you jealous. Look towards the front of the stage."

As Roy glanced up, he saw his two Dick and Wally waving at him from the front row. "Hey, what are you guys doing here? How'd you guys get tickets?"

"The man coming up to your right owns the arena. He got them for us." Dick hung up as Roy's head turned to see Bruce Wayne walking towards him with Dinah Lance. "Oh, lord. This is not happening."

Dinah smiled and gave Roy a friendly punch on the arm. "Hey, I didn't know you got a ticket to the concert. Are you sitting here?"

"Yeah, where are you guys sitting?"

Bruce held up his ticket. "Right here." The ticket looked familiar….

"Hey! That's Tim's.…Oh." Roy looked like he going to cry. "You're dishing out two punishments in one move."

Bruce smirked.

Roy covered his eyes with hands. In his ear he heard Bruce whisper, "Thanks for paying for the tickets. I understand these seats weren't cheap." Tim wasn't the one that was cruel. That description belonged to the Bat.

The End


End file.
